The invention generally relates to window blinds for use in automobiles.
By reason of the body shape in modern motor vehicles the rear window lies relatively flat. Because of this body shape the setting sun can heat up the car interior over a relatively large light-admitting opening. This is especially disadvantageous also because underneath the rear window pane there is located the mostly dark-colored hat deposit space, which warms up strongly in the sunlight, and because of the great distance from the windowpane the sunlight can give off heat well into the car interior.
In order to prevent this, from DE 36 12 165 a roll-up window blind is known which is designed especially for mounting on the rear window. To the roll-up blind there belongs a winding shaft turnably borne underneath the hat deposit space, to which (winding shaft) there is fastened with one edge a roll-up blind. By means of a spring motor, which is seated in the tubular winding shaft, the winding shaft is pre-stressed in the direction of a reeling-in of the roll-up blind. The other edge of the roll-up blind is fastened to a pull-rod which serves as a guide rail for two swingably borne levers. The levers are swingable beside the winding shaft about an axis which is at a right angle to the axis of the winding shaft. By means of a motor drive arrangement, the two levers can be transferred from a position in which they lie about parallel to the winding shaft into an upright position. Since the free ends of the levers are connected with the pull-rod, by the setting-upright of the levers the roll-up blind is reeled out and clamped.
The levers are, to be sure, sufficiently bending-stiff, but nevertheless by reason of their yieldingness they show in operation a vibration in a manner such that the pull-rod moves away from the windowpane or strikes against this.
In order to avoid this effect, on the ends of the pull-rod there are mounted two guide elements which, at least in the last range of the reeling-out stroke of the roll-up blind, come to lie against the inside of the rear window and in cooperation with the rear window impart a pre-stressing to the levers, so that the levers can press the pull-rod with force in the direction toward the rear window. Thereby the above-mentioned vibration effects are avoided.
The guide elements are needed in order to avoid a damaging of the heating wires on the inside of the window pane. In order to achieve this function, however, they must correspondingly overhang the outer contour of the pull-rod.
The overhanging guide elements are troublesome when the pullrod in the reeled-in state is to cover the outlet slot of the roll-up housing, or is to disappear in it. They require a corresponding enlargement of the slot opening on the outlet slot, so that in the reeling-in they can plunge through the outlet slot.
Accordingly, in view of the foregoing, a general object of the present invention is to provide a roll-up window blind for the window of a motor vehicle in which the guide elements do not require any additional recesses in the area of the outlet slot.
In the new roll-up window blind the two guide elements are no longer rigidly seated on the pullrod. They are movable with respect to the pullrod and, with the aid of a correspondingly formed bearing arrangement, they can be drawn back behind the contour of the pullrod or of a cover covering the pullrod. They have two operating positions, namely an operating position in which they are withdrawn behind the contour and a further operating position in which they project beyond the contour of the pullrod, in order to provide their supporting action on the inner side of the windowpane.
With the new solution it does not matter whether the winding shaft is borne in a separate housing or is installed directly on the under side of the hat deposit space or else is lodged in a housing that is lowered in the hat deposit space.
Depending on the form of execution then, the outlet slot can be located in the housing or in the hat deposit space.
With the new arrangement it is likewise possible to attune the pullrod and outlet slot to one another in such manner that a narrow gap remains around the pull rod, which has over its entire length virtually the same width when the pull rod in the reeled-in state is lowered in the outlet slot.
If this gap is felt to be inappropriate because small parts can jam in the gap, there is also the possibility of shaping the pullrod in such a way that with the reeled-in roll-up blind it completely covers the outlet slot.
The guide or spacing elements can be slide skids or small rollers or wheels which in the traveling-out do not slide over the windowpane, but roll over it. Any damage to the heating wires is then still more surely avoided.
The bearing arrangement for the guide elements can be a slide-blocking guide, with the aid of which the guide elements are led between the two end positions. The slide-block guidance can be used both in embodiments with slide skids, and also in embodiments with rotatable rollers.
In the case of a slide skid, the slide-block guide can have the shape of a uniformly curved slot in which the slide skid is guided, secure against turning. It can, however, also take on the form of a L-shaped guide channel if a turnable roller is used. In the case of an L-shaped guide channel, this latter is aligned in such a way that one section runs about horizontally in the direction toward the rear window pane, while the other section goes downward to the next adjacent point of the horizontally running section.
Instead of the slide-block guidance, the guide elements can also be mounted on a bearing carrier which on its part is swingable about a vertical axis.
In all cases the pressing-back of the guide elements behind the contour of the pullrod occurs by the edge of the outlet slot in the reeling-in of the roll-up window blind.
The reeling-out into the overhanging position is brought about most simply with the aid of a pre-stressing arrangement which pre-stresses the bearing arrangement or the guide element in the direction toward the overhanging position.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent upon reading the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention and upon reference to the drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic rear perspective view of an illustrative motor vehicle showing a roll-up blind according to the invention in the reeled-out state.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the free end of the actuating lever of the roll-up window blind of FIG. 1 shown sliding in the pullrod.
FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of the guide element for the window blind of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the guide element of FIG. 3 as it runs into the outlet slot.
FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the guide element of FIG. 3 in the completely reeled-in state.
FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of a further embodiment of a guide element for the window blind of FIG. 1.
FIGS. 7-9 are side elevation views of another embodiment of a guide element for the window blind of FIG. 1 which includes a pivotable bearing carrier.